Method, system and software for implementing an automated call routing application in a speech enabled call center environment

• US 8,976,942 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin A., Goldstein, Marc, Korth, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US13/691,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20130094634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22, 379/212.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

A system, method and software for implementing an automated call routing application in a speech enabled call center environment are provided. In operation, the invention provides for the identification of a call center transaction selection from a natural language user utterance and the invocation of one or more scripts operable to route the user to a call center service agent configured to service the selected transaction. In the event a transaction selection cannot be readily identified or can only be partially identified, the invention provides for the initiation of a dialog module or script directed to eliciting a discernable transaction selection and/or the presentation of one or more menus from which the user may select an available call center transaction.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

responsive to receiving a call from a caller, comparing a time of day associated with the call with a set of call center conditions indicative of hours of operation;

communicating a condition message to the caller in response to the time of day not matching the hours of operation;

responsive to detecting a natural language utterance from the caller, identifying speech included in the utterance;

responsive to identifying a second indication of a previously indicated agent request in the speech, presenting a transfer-to-agent message to the caller and transferring the call to a selected agent;

responsive to identifying a first vague call center transaction selection, prompting the caller for an additional natural language utterance indicating selection of a call center transaction;

responsive to identifying a second vague call center transaction selection, prompting the caller for an additional natural language utterance indicating selection of a call center transaction from a menu of options, and presenting the menu of options to the caller; and

responsive to detecting at least one of an unknown action and an unknown object in the speech, initiating a dialogue to identify at least one of the unknown action or the unknown objection;

upon identification of a known action-object combination;

accessing a routing destinations table indicating service agents operable to service selected action-object combinations; and

routing the call to a destination associated with the known action-object combination.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the caller may respond to the menu of options using touch-tone selection.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the operations include:

prompting the caller to make a touch-tone selection from the menu of options when speech in the utterance cannot be identified.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include:

prompting the caller for additional caller information in response to a first request for agent services by the caller.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include:

responsive to determining unidentifiable speech in the utterance, initiating a clarification dialog with the caller.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include:

responsive to determining unidentifiable speech in the utterance, presenting a second menu of options to the caller.